What's a Bet Between Friends?
by Kelar The Mage
Summary: "The day you beat Wyldon is the day they put a statue of you in front of the palace." Isn't it good that Jon's susceptible to bets?


This came out of wanting to write drunk!Roald...and utterly loving the idea of a statue of Kel in the Palace.

I don't own any of these guys.

FYI - I am not going to write a follow-up to this, sorry.

* * *

><p>Roald only drank when he fought with Shinko, and Jon and Raoul couldn't figure out if that was a good thing (though Raoul tended more to 'it's a bad thing', since he was, y'know, drinking, while Jon figured it was a good thing, since it was very occasional). But they did what any dutiful father and honorary uncle would do, which was make sure he stayed in Jon's work tent (or work room), and kept an eye on him, while talking. Which usually led to bets, usually instigated by Raoul.<p>

"Kel's jousting against Wyldon in the tournaments tomorrow," he told Roald.

"Maybe she knock him out the saddle," Roald said. His grammar was sloppy, but he never slurred while drunk. Just as well, really.

"The day that happens is the day a statue of her gets put in front of the palace," he said.

Jon who was sitting with them, doing paperwork and occasionally giving his son a worried glance, raised his eyebrows. "I don't remember hearing about that," he said mildly, "But it sounds like an interesting idea. 'Knock Wyldon out of the saddle, get a statue in the palace'." He frowned. "I'm almost tempted to try it, now. More people might joust against him, and his wife told Thayet he's been complaining that Kel and green knights are the only ones who go up against him."

Raoul laughed. "She knocked me off the saddle last week, when we practiced."

"So Gary won?"

"Gary almost always wins," Raoul pointed out. "When it comes to surprises, yes, he loses, but once he knew she was good..." He shrugs. "He's pegged that she'll beat Wyldon around the time she's thirty, but I'm thinking it'll be a bit before that."

Roald looked interested. "Tweny-seven," he said.

Raoul calculated, noting Jonathan leaning back from his bench, doing the same. Jon nodded agreement with his son.

"Twenty-six," he said.

"If she hits your number, what do you want?" Jon asked.

"She gets a statue in the palace. And no one tells her. We get Dom to show it to her." Raoul grins. "We can take bets on her reaction once it's up. I assume your prize is the usual?"

Jon grins devilishly. "Of course. You attend all balls and parties I ask you to, whenever you're in Corus, for the year after I win."

Roald considers. "And you make Kel come too," he says.

"Fine," Raoul says. "Though I'll be letting her know with Dom around me. For safety."

Jon snorts very un-regally in amusement. "I doubt he'd defend you against her."

"No, but they might die of embarrassment if I shove him into her and make them kiss. I'd escape with my life."

"Sound plan," Jon comments. Raoul shakes hands with father and son. He then decides he's going to stick close to Kel's new fief, when he can, so that she gets a _lot_ of jousting practice in. He's got five years, after all.

"Remember, you don't win unless she does it at twenty-seven," Raoul adds. "And Roald?"

"Yessir?" Old habits die hard.

"Try honey. I asked Kel what Shinko'd been on about, after the fight. Find some sweet honey tomorrow morning, and get it to her."

"Be grateful her hormones aren't soothed by Alanna," Jonathan tells his son, as he goes back to paperwork. "And that Shinko keeps these things private from Yuki."

"You're remembering the frying-"

"I AM NOT REMEMBERING THE FRYING PAN INCIDENT," Jon roars.

"So it's the emerald incident, then?"

Jon rubs his temples, all the answer Raoul needs.

"Emerald incident?" Roald asks as Raoul walks out.

* * *

><p>"How. Do. You. Do. It." Jonathan glares at Raoul.<p>

Raoul laughs. "You never said I couldn't practice a ton with her," he says smugly.

Jonathan growls and sits in his chair. "How am I going to explain this to anyone?"

"Bring up the Scanra incident."

He nods, slowly. "But she has a fiefdom..."

"And she basically won the war for us. Emry of Haryse has a statue."

"Fair enough," he huffs.

They sit there several minutes.

"She's going to swear to Mithros and the Goddess when she sees the statue," Jon says.

"To the Chamber of the Ordeal," Raoul retorts. "She's been doing that since the Scanran War."

"She's finally going to kiss Dom," Roald says from behind them.

"Prize is the usual, for me," Jon said.

"No balls or parties that I'm not seriously necessary for, for the next year," Raoul says.

"If I win, you two get to deal with Shinko the next time she comes after me with a shukusen for accidentally scaring her," Roald says.

They shake on it.


End file.
